Second Chances
by moonjat54
Summary: Chin Ho initiates a meeting with his former fiancee, Malia.  Is there a second chance for them?


**Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii 5-0. I hope they don't mind my playing with their characters.**

**This is my first attempt at a Hawaii 5-0 story. I have spent most of my time at the Moonlight fanfic and I started watching H 5-0 because of Alex. I have fallen in love with the entire cast and enjoy it immensely. I never watched Lost but I really like Daniel Dae Kim's portrayal of Chin Ho Kelly. The show where we met Malia was intriguing and I felt I could follow up on that. No whumping here but I hope you like it.**

Second Chances

Chin Ho Kelly parked his bike next to a plain, dark sedan in the hospital parking lot and turned off the engine. As he put the kickstand down, he again questioned why he was here. Ever since he had run into Malia at the hospital when trying to identify the victim of a beheading, there had been conflicting emotions at war inside him. Chin had thrown himself into the fast pace of the 5-0 team because it left him little time to sit and think about what seeing her had stirred up. So now here he was, sitting next to her car, knowing that her shift was just ending and wondering if he had lost his mind.

Not knowing what exactly had motivated him to show up here this evening caused him to shake his head and he considered restarting the bike and heading home but then he saw her. She was easy to pick out among the groups of people leaving the building as she walked along with two other people. A selfish surge of relief went through him as he noticed her companions were women. He knew he had no right to dictate what she did with her free time but he couldn't help be happy she wasn't dating another doctor. When he had seen her wearing his ring on a chain it had caused a strange rush of pleasure in him and he wondered if she still cared. He knew he had no right to expect her to still care after he had broken things off but now he felt a spark of hope.

Swinging a leg over the bike, he walked around to the driver's side of the car and waited by the rear door. Malia paused when she saw him, spoke quickly to her friends and then approached him alone. A small, unsure smile flickered across her face and she came to a stop near the front bumper. With a quick glance around the parking lot, she turned her gaze back to Chin.

"Chin, what brings you here?" she asked softly.

"Hello Malia, I was hoping that maybe we could talk," Chin answered seriously.

"What should we talk about Chin?" Malia said cautiously. "Has something changed?"

Chin heard the hurt in her voice and not being totally sure of his own motives, he didn't know how to answer her. Still he pressed on, not ready to give up.

"Can't we just talk Malia? Let's catch up on things," he replied.

Malia bit her lower lip, not sure how she felt about this plan. It was so good to see him and she had missed him terribly but was she ready to set herself up for more hurt? She could not take him opening the door a crack if he only planned to slam it closed again if things got rough. She couldn't deal with the pain a second time.

"Why now?" she asked, unconsciously fingering the ring that still hung around her neck.

Taking her actions as a sign of encouragement, Chin stepped forward and held out his hand to her.

"Because I like the sound of your voice," he said with a small smile, bringing up line he had used so often with her in the past. "Talk to me Malia. Let's see where it goes. Please."

How could she resist his smile? She had always loved his smile and once that drug case had hung its shadow over his life, his smile had all but disappeared. All the joy that had been in him had vanished as IA tore his life and reputation apart. Some talk could not hurt, if only to see him smile again.

"Okay," she nodded and reached out to take his hand. It felt good to feel the touch of his fingers close over hers. "Where shall we go?"

"How about our favorite place?" Chin suggested, referring to the coffee shop near the hospital that they had frequented when they were seeing each other. He squeezed her fingers lightly and then let go when she nodded in agreement. "I'll follow you," he added.

Malia got into her car and drove to the nearby shop that was about ten minutes from the hospital. She and Chin had met there regularly when their shifts had permitted. Getting out of her car she gave Chin a stern look as he parked his bike next to her vehicle.

"Still not wearing a helmet I see," she scolded gently.

"You know me…..always the rebel," Chin laughed as he opened the door to the coffee shop for her. "Find us a table, I'll get the coffee."

Malia found a vacant table apart from the occupied ones in the place and sat down. Moments later Chin joined her and set a steaming mug before her as he sat across from her. Glancing down, Malia saw it was just how she liked it.

"You remembered how I take it," she said looking up into his dark eyes.

"I remember everything," he answered gently. Silence settled as they took a drink of their coffee.

"How are you Chin, really? You have a new job. The Governor's special task force, that is a very big deal," Malia finally spoke up, trying to break the uncomfortable silence.

"The job's good. McGarrett is a straight shooter; I worked with his old man. Kono is on the team and is doing a darn good job for a rookie. And Danny Williams…well Danny is a great cop even if he's not convinced that Hawaii is a fit place to live," Chin related, animation returning to his face. "I like what I am doing. It feels good to be a cop again."

"That makes me very happy for you," Malia said placing a hand over his. Her gaze was warm and Chin felt the familiar pleasure that her touch always gave him.

"And how are things with you? How are things at the hospital?" he inquired.

"The job is good; you know I love my work. It was all I had after…" Malia stopped, wishing she could bite her tongue when she saw the guilt flash across Chin's face. "Oh Chin, I am sorry. I didn't mean it like that."

"No, you did and you are right. I didn't leave you with much when I broke our engagement. But I could not let your career be damaged because of your association with me. I couldn't do that to you," Chin said quickly and let his gaze drop to the table top. He concentrated on the checked table cloth, trying to forget how things had been back then.

"And you didn't think I might have an opinion on the subject?" Malia asked, the hurt in her voice bringing his eyes back up to hers. Anger now sparked in her lovely eyes. "Chin, everyone thinks I dumped you. Kono could barely look at me when we met at the hospital. Your family thinks I abandoned you at your lowest."

"And most of them think I am dirty so believe me, you have their respect. Kono and a few others believe me but even today most of the others still believe that I took that money," Chin said unable to hide the bitterness.

Malia's anger vanished at the wounded look in his eyes.

"Even now Chin? Even with this new position with the task force?" she asked gently.

"Even now," Chin confirmed. "I think Sid sees me in a different light now that I saved his life, but I am still treated like a pariah by HPD and most of my family. I'm still not cleared; people just think McGarrett is crazy to have me on the team."

"How can they believe that?" Malia's temper was now directed at all of those who doubted Chin's honesty. "You always were an honorable man. How can they believe you would do such a thing?" She reached out and took both his hands in hers. It broke her heart to see how this hurt him, having his family doubt his integrity.

"It is always easier to believe it when the authorities back up the accusations. I'm fortunate that Steve McGarrett doesn't believe in the official line. He believes in me and so do Kono and Danny. It makes it easier to deal with when I know they have my back," Chin admitted. He kept hold of her hands, enjoying the feel of her unqualified support; it meant the world to him. She had always believed in him and it was good to know that hadn't changed.

"Then I hope that your team can find a way to clear your name," she told him sincerely. "I just wish you had let me stand beside you when things went wrong. Didn't I deserve to make that choice?"

A sheepish smile broke over Chin's face. He nodded slightly.

"I guess I should have given you a choice but I only wanted to protect you and your career," he confessed. "I didn't want to drag you down with me. What are you trying to say here Malia?"

"I'm saying that I wanted to stand by you and you refused me. Please do not open this door if you only plan to close it again. I am glad to see you and talk to you but don't think that you can drop into my life like this if you plan to pull away again," she said with an emotional quiver in her voice. "I can't take that kind of hurt again."

Guilt swept through Chin, knowing that she was justified in her fears. He had not consulted her when he broke things off; he had made that choice without her.

"You are right, I wasn't fair to you. Malia….I still love you. I don't plan to pull away. Do you think that you could forgive me and see if we have a chance?" he said, finally putting his deepest wish into words. It was time to be honest with her hope for the best.

Malia squeezed her eyes shut as her emotions warred within her. He had said he still loved her and that made her spirits soar. Her feelings had never changed. Maybe there was a chance…..a second chance to be together. She opened her eyes and smiled at him.

"I love you too Chin. I would like to try," she whispered, her face radiant. It was time to go forward.

End story

**I have no idea if this is the direction the show will go but my romantic heart says it would be nice if Chin got a shot at repairing his life. I hoped you liked it.**


End file.
